Cyber Monday is coming up on after thanksgiving and everyone is getting ready for the best deals of the year. If you’re like me, then you value your deals a lot and you want Cyber Monday to count.
No doubt, you won’t be the only shopper scrambling for those precious discounts and there will be a lot of competition. The stores don’t help either by being subtle with all the best deals.
To get a head of the competition, you’ll have to know some neat hacks. Here they are!
Safety First
You probably think all of the hacks to do with Cyber Monday are about finding the best available deals. However, just as important is your safety. As you surf the internet, chances are you’ll stumble upon a Cyber Monday deal that will seem too good to be true.
Well, if it seems so then it probably is. If you’re seeing deals on websites you’re not familiar with, be careful. Preferably, avoid websites you’ve never seen or heard of before altogether. Another thing to watch out for is the barrage of spam you’re likely to receive in your email.
If your spam filter isn’t working too well, now is a great time to fix it. Otherwise, never ever click on links you know nothing about that come in your email.
Make sure you’re always using a secure data connection when you surf the internet with the intention of making an online payment at some point.
That means you shouldn’t be shopping on airport or coffee house Wi-Fi. Ever. Also, stick to your credit card when making payments. It has enough layers of security that you’re less likely to be robbed via that avenue.
Do Your Due Diligence
Every year, retailers release ads on their deals earlier and earlier. So if you want to catch the best deals, you’ll have to look out for the ads much earlier.
Remember, Cyber Monday comes just after Thanksgiving, meaning that whatever deals relate to Cyber Monday were probably bundled up with Black Friday deals. Do your research early and figure out what you want.
Find the best deal and then bide your time. When the deals go live, you won’t waste any time pouncing on them.
It All Starts on Black Friday
Black Friday comes just before Cyber Monday. Have you ever been curious which one offers the better deals? We went and did an analysis of the past few years for both and found a few patterns.
First off, high end electronics have better deals on Cyber Monday. Whether you’re looking for a high quality gaming system, a HD TV, or a powerful laptops, these have the best deals on Cyber Monday. Budget electronics typically have the better deal on Black Friday so you’ll have to hold your horses if you’re looking for something with a little more power.
Second, home goods and Christmas toys also traditionally have better deals on Cyber Monday. Walmart and Target are notorious for giving great deals and never fail to disappoint. If you’re looking to buy a vacuum cleaner, then Cyber Monday is your best bet. There’s probably a connection between the fact that it’s called Cyber Monday’ and the fact that you get the best deals on electronics on this day.
Get Your Browser Ready
So you’ve done your hunting and you’ve found exactly what you want. Now you just need to wait for the material day to arrive. Well, what if the day comes and everything happens too fast?
What if you can’t fill in your credit card information fast enough and the outlet runs out of stock? This is where your browser comes in. Make sure you have it all prepped up for the big day.
First, bookmark all the outlets where you’ll be doing your shopping. That way, finding them on D-Day will be much easier.
Second, fill your shopping carts up with everything you plan to buy come Monday. You could even fill in credit card and shipping information so that, on Monday, all you have to is click your mouse a few times and the sale is done! Make sure you also install browser add-ons to prevent you from entering erroneous financial information. Can’t afford to overspend on such a day.
The Power of the Coupon
Just because the retailers are already offering you deals, doesn’t mean you should forget about coupon codes altogether! Make sure you stack up a supply of coupons to use on the material day.
There are lots of sites where you can find coupons with great savings. Some of these include CouponSherpa.com, Groupon and Cardpool.com. You could easily shave off an extra 5-13% on the price of your goods using coupon codes.
Be a Purposeful Shopper
Just because it’s Cyber Monday, doesn’t mean everything is going to be a good deal. If you go for everything, you’ll probably end up with nothing at the end of the day.
Make sure you have a list of all the best deals at your favorite outlets handy so you know what to focus on. When the day comes, go for the best deals, looking to focus on free shipping deals first and working your way from there.
Typically, electronics and cookers offer the best deals on Cyber Monday. Things like Christmas toys will just be a waste of your money. There are days in the year when great deals are offered on everything and you can buy anything and still get a sweet deal. Unfortunately, Cyber Monday isn’t one of those days.
Have Fun!
Cyber Monday isn’t meant to be the gory struggle between consumers that it’s made out to be. It’s a day to get great deals and still have fun while shopping. If you don’t have fun, then you’ve probably wasted your Cyber Monday.
There are lots of opportunities on Cyber Monday to get a dream product at an incredible price. Some of these will pan out and some won’t, that’s the way things just are. However, if you’re diligent enough and take into consideration all the tips you just read, you’re likely to get multiple good deals.